Crop duster



May 5, 1925.

E. KNAPP ET AL CROP DUSTER May 5, 1925. 1,537,014

E.,KNAPP ET A1.

-CROP DUSTER Filed April 17, 1923 2 sheets-sheet 2 I f5 1.1111151 5a mmmm y 1l "L" 1 ,1f

/Wmro EJQVAPP A TTOHNEYS' Patented May 5, 1925.

1,537,014 UNITEDA STATES; PATENTOFFICE.

EDGAR KNPP'AND CARL GODFREY ALLGRUNN, 0F MIDDLEPORT, NEW YORK. y

one? nus'rnn.

application med April 17, 1923. serial- Naeaarsr To all 107mm it may coacem:

Be it known that we, Encan KNArr and CARL Gr. ALLGRUNN, both citizensl of the.

United States, and residents of Middleport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented a new andflmproved 4Crop Dusteigof, which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The present invention relates useful improvements in machines for dusting crops, and it pertains more particularly to a device of this' characterespecially adapted for personal wear by thev operator.

VIty is .one-of the objects of the invention 'to provide a relatively` small portable duster adapted, vthroughthe medium of a `suitable harness, to be .strapped to the'per'son'of'the operator for the purpose of distributing insecticides in powdered form.

Itisa further'object of the invention to,`

provide a device 0f thiszcharacter whichis pneumatically operated. y z

It .is a further object ofthe invention to provide a device of thisclmracter in which an insecticide compartment and a blower con'ipartment are provided in a single body portion or housing. y y

It is a further object ofthe inventionto construct a device of this character in vsuch a manner thatthes'everal parts thereof are readily accessible for repair. y

It v:is a still further object of the invention to construct the device in such a manner that a single driving crank operates both'theiinsecticide feed and the blower.

Viththe above and other obj reference is had to the Vaccompanying drawings, in which f Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 1--1l of Fig. 2; n

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken yonthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fie'. 3 kis a horizontal sectional view;

Fig. 4L is a view in elevation of the device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the device comprises a housing orthe like, 5, and such housing is divided into two compartments 6 and 7, by lne-ans `Ofa suitable partition S.

One end wall of the housing 5 is pro#4 to new kand ects in view, i

, 12 is positioned. with a bearing member 14,

which, together with the bearing 10, forms the endsupports of a shaft 15.

Mounted in the compartment G and removably secured to the partition 8, isa hous ing 16. `Mounted in this housing 16, is a plurality of gears 17, 18,19, k20 and 21. The gear 17 is caused to rotatewith the shaft 1.5 byy means of a hey 22. `'lhegear 18v `is carried by a shaft 28,and adapted to ro-` tate with the shaft 23 is the gear 19. The' gear 19 is adapted to drive the gear 2() through the medium of a small gear` 24 mounted on astud shaft 25, and the gear 20 is adapted to drive the gear 21. The complete set of gearing is shown in'Fig. in:

dotted lines.`

The gear 21 is carried by a sleeve `2G mounted upon the shaft 15 by means of bear-ings 27.- This ysleeve has a plurality 0f fany blades 28 secured thereto, said fan blades being mounted in the compartment 7,'

and through the medium of the gearing said f blades are adapted to be rotated` within vthe coinpartn'ient 7, which con'ipartment' forms the fan housing ofthe device. Closing the gear housing is a plate 29, which issecured to the housing by means of screws 30, and such plate serves to exclude dust or other foreign matter from the housing Secured to the shaft 15, by a cotterpin or the like, 31, is an agitating device. This agitating device has a hub portion 32, through which the cotter pin 31 passes to key it to the'shaft, and projecting from the hub portion 32 arearms 33, which arms have angularly disposed forked extensions 34'. vMounted in one of these angularly disposed extensions 34, is an agitator 35, and carried by each 'of the arms 33 is an agitator 3G, the outer face of which carries a `rubbing element 87, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described. y n

The bottom wall ofthe receptaclel 6 is curved as indicated' by the reference character 38, and said curved bottom wall is provided witha plurality of perforations 39, through which material is forced vby means of the rubbingelements 37 carried by the arms 33.

Adapted to regulate the volume of mate'- j rial discharged fromr the compartment 6, through the openings 39, 1s a sllding plate 110, and such sliding plate is operatedQbyy means of a handle portiondl.

The blower compartment 7 is provided with a discharge opening 42, and such discharge opening has a passage 43 leading therefrom, which passes beneath the openings 39 in the bottom of the compartment 6, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and This discharge is arranged so that the draft ot air generated in the compartment 7 will be forced therethrough beneath the discharge of the compartment 6 and will pick up material discharged through the openings 39 therein.

The compartment 6 has a cover preferably ot the hinge type and designated by the reference character 44, and b y this means material in the form ot' powdered insecticide is introduced into the compartment 6.

Secured to the tree end of the shaft 15 is an operating crank 45, which is provided with a handle 46 by means of which the shaft 15, the gearing within the housing 1G, and the fan blades are rotated.

The device is carried upon the person by a. suitable harness (not shown) and is adapted to be engaged with lugs or the like 50, carried by the receptacle, and leading trom the discharge 43 is a spout or the like, 51, through which the material is discharged by the machine.

To aid in steadying the device in operation, it is provided on its trontwall with a handle 52 adapted to be grasped by the operator.

The device operates in the following manner:

The compartment (3 is lilled with insecticide in powdered form and after it has been strapped in position upon the operator, the crank is turned by means ol the handle 46 in a clockwise direction. This action causes the gear 17 to move the gear 1S together with the gear 19 in an anti-clockwise direction. Engagement of the lgear 19 with the gear 24 causes the gears 2O and 24 to move in a clockwise direction and the engagement ot the gear Q0 with the gear 21 causes the gear 21 to move in an anticlockwise direction, which is the direction o' travel ot the tan blades 28. Movement of the tan blades in this direction generates a dra'tt ot air through the discharge 4S beneath the discharge openings ot the compart-ment G. Simultaneously with the driving oll the gears through the medium ot the shalt 15, the agitating device is moved through the compartment G and the material is at all times agitated in order that it may be more readily discharged trom the compartment G. As the material is positioned upon thedischarge openings it is rubbed therethrough by means ot the rubbing elements 3T and passes into the path ot' the drat't through the discharge 43 and is 'picked up by the dra-tt of air passing through said discharge and is subsequently discharged from the spout 51 which is capable of manipulation by the operator in order that the discharge ot the material from the device may be directed at the will of the operator. The volume of material discharged from the compartment 6 may also be regulated at the will of the operator, by the plate 40 to determine the number o1 openings 39 through which the material will be permitted to pass.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a device ot this character in which it is possible to vary the volume of material discharged from the device. Furthermore, due to the wiping action of the wiping elements, the material is caused to be discharged from its compartment and due to the position of the discharge of the blower compartment the material is discharged directly into the path of air discharged from the blower compartment.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a housing, a partition dividing said housing into a blower compartment and an insecticide con'ipartment, a :tan mounted in the blower compartment, a sha'tt extending longitudinally of said housing, a gearing adapted to be driven by Said shaft for the purpose of driving the :tan in the blower compartment, and a gear housing for supporting said gearing, said gear housing being removably carried by the partition ot' the tiret-mentioned housing.

2. A device of the character described com prising a housing, partition dividing said housing into a blower compartment and an insecticide compartment, a shaft extending longitudinally of said housing and through both of said compartments, a gearing 'tor driving said blower and interposed with rcspect to the blower and the shaft, said gearing being driven by said shalt, and a housing for supporting said gearing, said housing being supported by the partition divid1 ing the first-mentioned housing into the blower and the insecticide compartments.

3. ln a device of the character described, a housing divided into compartments, one ot which constitutes a blower' compartment and the other an insecticide compartment, a fan mounted in said blower compartment a shaft extending longitudinally of said housing a gearing operated by said shaft and serving as the blower operating means, means for driving said gearing to operate the blower a plurality of bearings for loosely mounting said blower on said shaft and independently thereof, and means removably carried by the opposite ends of the first-mentioned housing for supporting said longitudinally extending shaft therein.

4. In a device ot the character described, a housing divided into compartl'nents, one of which comprises a blower compartment, the other comprising an insecticide compartment, a tan mounted in said blower com- Fart/ment, shaft extending through said l ousing and serving the means -for mount-` ing said fan, and 2L gearing operated by'suid Shaft and serving to drive said fan, said gearing being supported from one of the Walls of the insecticide compartment.

5. In a device of the character described,

fihousing divided into a` bionet compartnient and nv insecticide compartment, a

shaft extending longitudinally of seid honeing, :L fan loosey supported on Sayid shaft in the blower compartment, :L gear housing supported on one of the walls of the insecticide compartment, und e fan operating gearing mounted n said gear housing, Said gearing being operated by Suid Shaft.

EDGAR KNAPP. CARL GODFREY ALLGRUNN. 

